The World Bird Sanctuary’s mission is to preserve the earth’s biological diversity and to secure the future of threatened bird species in their natural environments. We work to fulfill that mission through education, captive breeding, field studies and rehabilitation.

Monday, June 8, 2015

What You Need to Know about Lead Toxicosis, The Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act of 2015 S.405 and Our American Bald Eagle

Lead is a heavy metal that
has no physiologic benefit in any living system. When ingested, it is absorbed
from the stomach and is distributed by red blood cells to the soft tissues,
causing damage to the gastrointestinal tract, nervous system and kidneys. Lead
causes anemia (lack of red blood cells)by
increasing the fragility and premature destruction of red blood cells. It also
suppresses bone marrow.

Dr. Laura L Wade DVM Dipl ABVP working
on a bald eagle that had lead toxicosis and was subsequently hit by a car
because of the resulting neurological effects. This eagle was saved with
chelation therapy and currently resides at the Buffalo Zoo (photo: Dawn Trainor
Griffard)

Signs of lead toxicosis
can include lethargy (lack of energy), loss of appetite, regurgitation, green
and/or bloody diarrhea, seizures and sudden death. In order to treat lead
toxicosis, it must be diagnosed early and treated aggressively. Treatment
consists of removing or chelating the lead from the system with injectable
CaEDTA, oral Dpenicillamine, oral DMSA or oral dimercaprol.

The body attempts to store
lesser amounts of lead in the bone, where it is most often inactive. However it
can become active again in laying hens, as they use more calcium to create
their eggs and therefore may pull more calcium from the bones – disturbing the
stored lead in the process.

Treatment of lead
toxicosis is costly and time-consuming and is most often performed by
veterinarians and rehabilitators on wild animals such as waterfowl and bald
eagles, which do not have families to pay their bills like pet birds do. Therefore, it falls to the responsibility of conservation groups, participating
veterinarians and sanctuaries to save the lives of these poor animals. These
animals must stay in treatment until it is clear that they once again have a
fighting chance back in the wild. This
can often take several weeks to months of care.

Over the past 25 years, an
average of 21-25 percent of sick or injured eagles treated at wildlife
hospitals were found to have toxic levels of lead in their blood. Bald Eagles
frequently scavenge the carcasses of deer, pheasants and other wildlife that
may harbor lead or lead fragments. They also hunt live prey such as waterfowl
that have been impaired by lead ingestion. Lead is present in these prey items
because they have been shot by hunters who use lead ammunition, or they have
swallowed fishing equipment such as lead sinkers.

Lead ammunition also poses
health risks to human beings. Lead bullets explode into minute fragments when
they hit their target. These fragments can spread throughout the meat that
humans eventually eat. Studies using radiographs have shown that dust sized
particles can infect meat up to a foot and a half away from the bullet wound. A
recent study has found that up to 87 percent of cooked game killed by lead
ammunition can contain unsafe levels of lead.

In October 2012, a
position statement issued by the Association of Avian Veterinarians stated that
AAV “recognizes that lead is a potent toxin to wild birds that can have
individual-and-population-level effects. Therefore, the AAV advocates the
replacement of lead-based sporting ammunition and fishing tackle with
non-lead-based alternatives.”

The American Veterinary
Medical Association’s Policy Statement on Conservation of Wild Animals states
that the organization is concerned about the possible extinction of many animal
species. The AVMA should collaborate with naturalists, conservation groups,
appropriate governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and
international bodies to establish and maintain effective actions for the
conservation of wild animals in their native habitats. These AVMA policies provide
support for the elimination of lead ammunition use. For these reasons, we join
with our veterinary colleagues in supporting a commonsense primary prevention
policy requiring that lead ammunition be replaced with non-lead
ammunition.This policy helpsprotect allwildlife
species, and alsodomestic and companion
animals.

In 1991, the federal
government banned the use of lead in waterfowl hunting. Non-toxic bullets cost
only 10-20 percent more for most guns. Despite the ban, Duck Stamp purchases
increased by 30% between 1991 and 2009, even with a 20% increase in the cost of
each stamp. As the production of lead-free ammunition ramps up, costs could
drop significantly.

Anthony Prieto, a hunter
and co-founder of “Project Gutpile” (a hunter’s group that provides educational
resources for lead-free hunters and anglers) says, "As a hunter in
California, compliance with the recent state non-lead ammunition regulation has
been simple.I still get to hunt,
there is no toxic impact on wildlife or my health, and copper bullets shoot
better."

“The Bipartisan
Sportsmen’s Bill of 2015” is the re-introduction of a bill that was originally
introduced and dismissed in 2012.This
bill will try to stop the no-lead ammunition laws being passed and introduced.Those
who authored the bill hope that the average “rank and file” hunters in the
United States will believe that their rights as hunters are being
challenged.Those reintroducing
this bill believe these “rank and file hunters” will fight for this bill to be
passed.However, none of their
current hunting freedoms are being challenged, and they will gain nothing from
this legislation.

What this legislation will
do (if passed) is legalize the import of threatened species which are shot
abroad andstop the regulation of toxic
ammunition.The bill could also
create the presumption that federal lands specifically designated as wilderness
areas must be opened to trophy hunting and commercial trapping, regardless of
the impacts on the environment, wildlife or other land users (hikers, families,
campers, photographers etc.)

The ammunition section of
the bill states, “Firearms, ammunition and sport fishing equipment and its
components (such as lead sinkers) are exempted from regulations of chemical
substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act.”This section of the legislation – if passed - will make any
previous protective laws against lead ammunition exempt and allow the use of
all lead ammunitions completely legal for any use in any state.

Please help protect our
wildlife. Call your Senators today and urge them to oppose the Bi-Partisan
Sportsmens Act of 2015-S.405.Congress needs to know that the majority of Americans want to keep
critical protections for wildlife and wild lands – including our bald eagles -
in place.

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For visitor information call 636-225-4390 or email us at education@worldbirdsanctuary.org

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